The contract development and manufacturing company said that the move would bring it into close proximity with many of its major clients and future prospects. A location for the new lab site in Research Triangle Park has already been chosen, it said, and should be ready for operation in the next three months. The headquarters should be up and running at the end of the year.
Research Triangle Park is claimed to be the largest research park in the US and is home to 136 research-based companies, including top pharma and biopharma firms such as GlaxoSmithKline, Biogen Idec and Eisai. Meanwhile, North Carolina as a whole has more than 330 biotechnology companies, said Patheon.
Wes Wheeler, Patheon's CEO, commented: "Patheon has over 300 US based customers and derives approximately 50 per cent of its revenues from US based companies."
But North Carolina has another advantage in that the high concentration of pharmaceutical companies means it is a great place to recruit highly-trained staff, he added. "This move positions us to attract top talent from the industry," said Wheeler.
Patheon was quick to point out that there will be "no impact to Patheon's significant regional presence in Ontario, Canada, where it operates four facilities with over 1,500 employees."
The analytical development facility will be built at Durham and will support Patheon's US-based pharmaceutical development operations in Cincinnati, said the firm. It will initially offer stability studies, validation testing and analytical chemistry services.
In total around 100 new employees will be hired - split between the headquarters and laboratory sites - with a few senior executives making the move from Ontario.
There is a real sense that momentum is building at Patheon, and the restructuring plan implemented by Wheeler when he took the helm in November 2007 is in full swing.
While the business has been held back of late as it absorbed loss-making facilities in Puerto Rico as part of its acquisition of Mova Pharmaceuticals in 2004, recent announcements indicate it is on the up.
The company has sold off some plants and businesses, refocused and downsized others, all of which helped it slash its losses in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2007.
It has also just opened a new subsidiary in Japan, once again in order to be geographically closer to its customers in the Pacific Rim.
